Investments and Business

In the spring of 2021, Chet Hanks, son of Tom Hanks, sparked controversy by declaring that it would be a “white boy summer.” Initially ambiguous, the phrase has since been co-opted by white supremacist groups, according to a report by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. This year, the slogan has appeared in thousands of Telegram posts, used by far-right groups to recruit, organize protests, and incite violence, particularly against immigrants and LGBTQ individuals. The phrase now symbolizes an unabashed celebration of white heterosexual masculinity, often at the expense of women and people of color. Wendy Via, co-founder of…

The narrow alleys of West Bank refugee camps are covered with black tarps to hide Palestinian fighters from Israeli drones. Green Hamas flags and “martyrs” banners adorn buildings damaged by Israeli raids and airstrikes aimed at curbing the growing militancy fueled by the Gaza conflict. This scene, however, does not take place in Gaza or a traditional Hamas stronghold, but in a refugee camp in Tulkarem, a city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank where the moderate Palestinian faction Fatah has long held sway. Recently, I met Muhammad Jaber, a local commander, in one of these dusty, war-torn alleys. At 25,…

The 2023 Ryder Cup loss in Rome left a sour taste in the mouth of the U.S. team, causing a significant shakeup in the leadership. With Tiger Woods stepping down as captain, a new era begins with Keegan Bradley at the helm. The traditional “task force” approach, grooming veterans for captaincy roles, had grown stale. Zach Johnson’s 2023 leadership, criticized for favoritism and reliance on past captains, highlighted the need for a fresh perspective. Enter Bradley, himself an avid Ryder Cup player. Although left off the 2023 team, his youthful energy and close connection with today’s PGA Tour players resonated…

Did Alicent actually believe that Viserys's final words were about her son, or was she simply interpreting them in a way that suited her own wishes? (And, more critically, should a serious drama base its central conflict on a misunderstanding more suited to a sitcom? Resolving that question at this point may be beyond the scope of this summary.) Rhaenyra's brave secret return to King's Landing, aided by Mysaria, to confront her arch-enemy-friend sets the record straight. Alicent is convinced that Viserys means Aegon. Rhaenyra, for her part, truly believes that Alicent holds this belief. But when the Queen Mother…

Voters in Portsmouth, a city famous for its naval base on England’s south coast, streamed into a polling station on Thursday morning. Warmly greeted by poll workers, they arrived in a steady stream: elderly couples holding hands, parents with babies in strollers, and young professionals rushing to work. According to the latest polls, every vote cast has added weight to what could be the decisive conclusion to 14 years of Conservative government. “I just want to see change,” Sam Argha, 36, said after voting for Labour. “We need to try something different.” This sentiment reverberated across the city, where many,…

Ray Kurzweil, a renowned inventor and futurist, continues to claim that humans will soon merge with artificial intelligence. During an interview at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, Kurzweil showed a graph illustrating the exponential growth of computing power over the past 85 years. This steady increase, according to him, indicates that the so-called Singularity, when humans and AI become one, will occur within the next two decades. Kurzweil, who has made a career out of making bold predictions, reiterated claims in his 2005 book, The Singularity is NearWith the advent of AI technologies like ChatGPT and efforts to implant…

At a recent meeting with the Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced a promising harvest and a new defense treaty with Russia. However, what attracted the most attention was the introduction of a new accessory: breast pins with the image of Kim Jong-un, as shown in photos by state media. The Kim family, in power in North Korea since 1948, has long been revered as a godlike figure. Portraits of Kim Jong Un's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, and his father, Kim Jong Il, adorn every home and office, and citizens are required to wear pins depicting…

Julien Bernard’s Tour de France journey took an emotional turn on Friday, but it came at a surprising price. Riding on his home turf of Burgundy during the stage seven time trial, Bernard veered off the course for a quick embrace with his cheering wife and son. The touching moment, greeted with cheers from the crowd, earned Bernard a 200 Swiss franc ($223) fine from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for "unsporting conduct." The governing body's decision sparked a debate online, with some questioning how a show of family support could tarnish the image of the sport. “It was a…

Ewan Mitchell, like many, is used to anonymity. However, that changed during a recent trip to Manhattan, when a hotel concierge surprised him with the question, "You didn't put on your eyepatch?" It was a nod to his role as Aemond Targaryen, the one-eyed warrior who rides a dragon in "House of the Dragon." Mitchell, who doesn't usually wear an eye patch, is still getting used to being recognized in public. "I didn't think people would recognize me, but they do," he noted. "I think it's because of my big chin." One afternoon in May, Mitchell, 27, was sipping a…

Instead of waking up on Monday in a country governed by the far right, France found itself in a situation similar to Italy's, where only patient parliamentary negotiation could lead to the formation of a viable coalition government. France rejected Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration Rassemblement National in its legislative elections, once again demonstrating its deep-seated resistance to nationalist initiatives. The country voted for a resurgent left that, while it has not achieved absolute power, has shifted the political heart of the nation from an all-powerful presidency to Parliament. With the Paris Olympics less than three weeks away and the August…